


Wide Hips

by Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts



Series: Undertale Drabbles and Headcanons [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Babybones, Dadster, Dysphoria, Fluff, Headcanon, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Skelefamily, Trans Male Character, TransSans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 15:36:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6616051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts/pseuds/Scorpius_Wears_Short_Skirts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sans is troubled by a diagram in a human science book. Luckily, his father knows him better than that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. By the Book

**Author's Note:**

> _Signing or Flashback_   
>  **Wingdings**

It began with one of the human anatomy and biology books Gaster had brought home from the Dump. He had planned to study it years ago, but had grown too busy to bother with it in the past few years. Becoming a father meant little time for hobbies, he’d learned.

 

“*dad?”

 

When his eldest child, twelve years old at the time, shuffled into his study in the middle of the time the Underground had designated as ‘night’ holding the book to his chest, a phalange tucked into it to save the page, Gaster could tell from his expression that something was wrong. He laid down his pencil on his cluttered desk and turned in his chair to give his son his full attention.

 

Sans wasted no time crawling up into the Revenant’s lap, opening the book and showing his father the diagram of two skeletons, separated by gender. A small, shaky hand pointed out the illustration of the pelvis on the female. 

 

Gaster’s brow furrowed, not understanding yet. He raised his hands to sign. _What is wrong?_

 

Sans fidgeted with his hands for a moment, nervous before mumbling. “*my hips are too wide…”

 

Gaster’s frown deepened, _You are perfect as you are._ he protests. He then curls an arm around his son’s frame, tucking the child closer to his sternum. He took the book with his other hand, closing it and dropping it unceremoniously on the floor. A book that made his child so self-conscious had no business having the comfort of a desk or a shelf.

 

“*it said i’m a girl because my hips are too wide. i don’t want to be a girl though.” Sans was lightly shaking now, the vibration ghosting through Gaster’s own ribcage and making the Revenant all too aware of the fact that his son was trying not to cry, even though he couldn’t see his face. 

 

Gaster began slowly petting the back of San’s cranium, trying to sooth the smaller monster. Sans couldn’t see his hands with how he was huddled so close now, seeking his father’s comfort, so the Revenant spoke.

 

**You are whoever and whatever you want to be. You chose yourself already the second your soul bloomed. The parts of your body don’t have to define you.** Despite the heavily distorted rasp, Sans understood his father’s words just as easily as any other Monster.

 

The child nodded into his father’s sternum and settled back so they could see eye to eye. Gaster smiled warmly, trying his best to be encouraging. Since Sans could see him, he began to sign again.

 

_Who are you?_

 

The little skeleton’s nasal cavity twitched, a mockery of when other Monsters who had noses would crinkle them up in annoyance or confusion. He thought about the question for a moment, then shrugged.

 

“*i’m sans.”

 

_Then that’s exactly who you should be._ Gaster nodded, a grin forming on his face. _That’s just common sans._

 

The child broke into peals of laughter, theatrically rolling off the Revenant’s lap and right onto the floor. “*that was just _gastly_ dad.”

 

The two exchanged puns for a few minutes until an even smaller skeleton, Papyrus appeared in the doorway, clutching a three-eyed purple teddy bear. He was obviously annoyed to be awaken by his father and brother sharing cheesy humor.

 

“WHAT’S GOING ON? DID DADDY EAT TOO MUCH CANDY AGAIN?” The five year old called, having not learned how to use an inside voice yet.

 

Sans only laughed harder and moved to embrace his little brother. Gaster stood and picked them both up, one under each arm, and took them to his room. He plopped them on the large bed next to the fire elemental, who woke up just long enough to smile drowsily at the Revenant and their sons, then rolling over to go back to sleep. Gaster took the other side to that the children were settled between the two adults, making for a very crowded bed but not at all an uncomfortable one. It took a minute for Papyrus’s giggles to die down, and soon the only sounds were the crackling snores of the fire and the occasional click of bones whenever the youngest shifted.


	2. A Day with Dadster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster spends the day with Papyrus and recalls the creation of Sans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Signing or Flashback_   
>  **Wingdings**

The following day Sans had school. Gaster took the day off from the lab however, and began his day by taking Papyrus to the Dump. The Dump was where many Monsters scrounged for supplies that had fallen from the surface. Usually the Revenant would search for technology so it could be studied, reverse-engineered, and then copied. This time, however, his eldest son’s self-esteem had been brought to his attention and he hoped to find something to help.

 

Papyrus, hyperactive child that he was, enjoyed trips to the Dump. He didn’t know the reason for this visit, nor did he care. He enjoyed picking up and inspecting whatever caught his eye. He favored board games and puzzles, even though there were usually pieces missing. 

 

Gaster reflected on the fact that Sans’s issue had been primarily with his hips. He saw no reason why wide hips were in any way bad, but if a child was troubled, it was a parent’s job to at least try to eradicate the issue. He supposed the best way to right a problem with the body was to cover the problem up. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

He let go of his youngest’s hand and signed, _I want you to bring any clothes you see to me. Okay?_

 

“OKIE DOKIE!” The little Skeleton screeched, and ran off to look around.

 

Papyrus, though quite hyper and very energetic even for a child his age, knew very well to stay where the Revenant could see him. He’d gotten lost when the family still lived in Hotlands and that was scary. Grillby had been the one to find him, and when he got home he could tell Gaster had been worried sick. He learned after that to be more careful and pay attention to where he was.

 

The young Skeleton was also a very observant child. Last night they’d all had a sleepover, and while it was a fun thing, it usually only happened after a bad thing. Usually if someone had had a nightmare or if a human had entered the underground and their parents wanted to make sure he and Sans stayed safe. Sans had been awake with Gaster already when Papyrus had been woken up. Maybe Sans had a nightmare?

 

No, Papyrus would have woken before Sans in that case. The brothers shared a room, and Sans always made noise if he had a nightmare. Still, he was certain it had something to do with his big brother.

 

He was drawn from his thoughts when a bit of blue caught his eye. He struggled to pull the waterlogged fabric out of the stream, finding it to be stuck. He gave it a few good yanks before it came free and he landed with a clatter. His prize was a puffy blue coat with fur around the hood. It was quite a large coat too. It wouldn’t fit anybody in the house. He and Sans were too small, Gaster too thin, and Grillby made plenty of his own heat which a coat like this would only smother. Gaster had said _any_ clothes, though.

 

“DAD! I FOUND SOMETHING!” Papyrus called, and Gaster glided over to join him, a red shawl draped over his radius and ulna.

 

The Revenant looked over the coat, and grinned before offering a nod of approval. He took the coat, laid it on drier ground, and began stepping on it to bleed the water out until it was only mildly damp. 

 

 _Papa can dry the rest of it out, I think._ Gaster mused aloud, picking the coat up again, shaking it, and draping it over the shawl. _That’s perfect, Papyrus. Thank you. Now, speaking of Papa, I think lunch is in order?_

 

Sans could surely grow into the coat, and the puffiness of it would be enough to hide his figure. The scientist made a mental note to get Papyrus something special too. 

 

 

Grillby’s was known for greasy food, burgers and fries being the most popular among the consumers. He always kept dried noodles and canned sauce in stock though, purely to make pasta for the youngest Skeleton. Boiling the water made the fire elemental nervous, usually he didn’t touch the stuff but he made an exception for his son. Papyrus hated greasy food for some reason, making the odd complaint that it wasn’t healthy even though most children prefered unhealthy foods.

 

Grillby expected to see Gaster and Papyrus for lunch today, and so he had already started a pot of spaghetti in preparation when they walked through the door, bell chiming to announce their arrival. He nodded a greeting to his partner, who smiled and signed one back before taking his designated seat at the corner of the bar, Papyrus in his lap. The coat and shawl were bunched up and set in the stool beside them.

 

Grillby brought out a plate of spaghetti once it was done, a sprinkle of parmesan and spider legs over the sauce. For Gaster he brought a large basket of fries, and a small bag of human candy. He also set down a bottle of hot sauce, winking behind his glasses, before resting his elbows on the stone bar top and leaning forward to show he was ready to listen.

 

Gaster knew his mate would want to know why there had been a slumber party in their bed last night and the Revenant sighed at the Elemental before signing, glad Papyrus seemed distracted enough with his pasta.

 

 _Sans was upset about his body._ He admits, and a puff of smoke emitted from his partner’s collar, clearly asking why with no need for words. _I’m not sure really. Just that his hips were too wide and he doesn’t want to be a girl. He’s never been a girl though. At least not since his soul bloomed._

 

Gaster’s face fell as he put his hands down on the bar, then used one to pour a puddle of hot sauce into the corner of the basket so he could dip fries into it before shoving them ravenously behind his teeth. A flaming hand came to rest upon the one not in use, a warm thumb tracing the circular hole in the metacarpals. Papyrus’s hand joined theirs and a crackle of a warm chuckle escaped the Elemental. The Revenant smiled at his son, silently thanking the small Skeleton before taking his hand back to sign. 

 

_If I had known, I might have used different remains._

 

The scientist finished his fries in silence, pocketed the candy, and took his son home, letting his partner return to work. He hangs the coat and shawl over the shower curtain rod to dry, then returns to his study. The damned human science book was still on the floor, and he took a bit of joy in tossing it in the trash can across the room. He sits at his desk and pulls an old journal from the bottom of a stack and opened it to the first page. 

 

 

_He’d been studying the remains of a fallen human, a child, judging by size. Very small. The flesh had begun rotting away, so Gaster had disposed of the decay. The only thing still holding up over time was the skeleton of the human, and the scientist found the similarity to his own species, Revenant, uncanny. There was also experimentation with Determination going on at the same time as this finding. The barrier, of course, could be crossed with a human soul and a monster soul, and Dr. Gaster found himself wondering if he could make a hybrid of human and monster using the skeleton and part of himself._

_With Monster reproduction, each parent would give up a shard of their soul, the shards would fuse, and the resulting magical spark would create a new baby Monster. With the human skeleton though, there was a body ready. Maybe with only one shard of his soul and enough Determination, that would be enough?_

_Without another Monster to offer his soul shard to, the removal of the shard left a scar. A hole appeared in his left hand. It was a small sacrifice to pay for science. With a drill, he made a small hole to get to the marrow of the skeleton’s femur. He placed the soul shard within the ribcage, pressing it into the spine from within, and immediately after injected Determination into the marrow. For nearly three hours, absolutely nothing happened. Gaster sighed, and leaned over his log journal to record his failure._

_As soon as pen touched paper, the tiny skeleton writhed and began to scream. Gaster broke the pen and cursed when he startled, ink splattering the page as he dropped it and the journal to restrain the smaller being so it wouldn’t hurt itself. That only upset it more, and the scientist changed his approach and picked up his creation, cradling it. It began to settle down this way and he very nearly dropped it when he realized it was acting exactly like an infant._

_When he got it to sleep finally, he gently pulled at the soul shard he could still feel to CHECK it. The soul had fused with the Determination to become whole, but was entirely Monster. Gaster sighed. While he had succeeded in making a Monster, he’d failed at what he meant to do._

_And now he was a father as well._

_**Shit.** _

 

 

With Sans bothered by his hips, Gaster realised, perhaps a bit late, that the human skeleton he’d made his firstborn with had been from a female human. He’d seen and felt Sans’s soul so many times though. He’d always been read as male since his soul bloomed.

 

Gaster closed the journal and sighed to himself, resting his elbow on the desk and cradling his face in his right hand, glaring down at the hole in his left. Papyrus chose then to come in, hesitating at the door when he noticed his father wasn’t in the best mood.

 

“ARE YOU SAD?” The little one shouted, prompting Gaster to plaster on a smile and shake his head.

 

 _Just thinking._ He responded, and pushed the journal out of sight. 

 

Sans knew how he had been made, and Papyrus was made with the same method, but too young to hear that story.

 

“ABOUT SANS?” Papyrus asked, aware there was something going on with his brother. He just wasn’t sure what it was.

 

Gaster nodded, admitting it. _How did you get so smart?_

 

At the praise, the five year old struck a valiant pose. “SANS LETS ME HELP WITH HIS HOMEWORK!” He answered, and Gaster took ‘help with’ to mean ‘do’. He would have to talk to his eldest about that when he got home. “SANS WAS ACTING WEIRD LAST NIGHT AND THEN WE ALL SLEPT IN YOURS AND PAPA’S BED LIKE WE DO WHEN SOMETHING IS WRONG.”

 

 _It isn’t my place to say. I think Sans should tell you about what he’s going through. Only if he wants to, as it may be private. All I can tell you is that I love both of you boys very much and I want you to be happy._ The scientist explained. _If you are unhappy, then Papa or I should try our best to make you happy again, but we may not know how._

 

“I UNDERSTAND.” Papyrus stated, and took a minute to think. “KETCHUP MAKES SANS HAPPY!” 

 

Gaster chuckled and moved to hug his son and spoke, **Of course! How silly of me. Ketchup will make him all better.**

 

The Revenant wasn’t actually too hopeful for ketchup to solve the problem, but he would validate Papyrus’s will to help every chance he got. Papyrus was such a kind little Monster, and Gaster prayed to the Stars that his youngest would always stay that way.


End file.
